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April in Paris: Tory’s 10 Spring Fashion Essentials

HiP Paris fave and globe-trotter extraordinaire Tory Hoen is finally back in Paris. In the next few weeks she’ll be doing the rounds of Paris’ latest hotspots, but first she shares her top Paris spring fashion picks with us here… Enjoy! -Geneviève

When I decided to spend this April in Paris, my euphoria was tainted by just one gnawing concern—what am I going to wear? We all know the Parisian spring is knock-your-socks off beautiful, but it’s a tricky season, sartorially-speaking. It can be cool and rainy one minute, balmy the next. It can feel like full-on summer on one side of the street, and winter once you cross into the shade. I’m constantly shedding and donning layers, and my normal fear of color is supplanted by an impulse to integrate bolder hues.

Although my highly unhelpful inner voice said, “Just pack everything!,” I’ve managed to narrow things down. Below is a list of 10 spring essentials that I know will serve me well this season.

1. When boots start to feel too clunky but it’s not yet sandal season, I live in my Repettos. They come in a variety of fun colors, but you can wear the classic black with just about anything.

2. While I’m not always the savviest of shoppers, I regularly high-five myself for having bought this beige trench from Comptoir des Cotonniers. I wear it constantly—open, closed, buttoned, belted—and always feel put-together, even when I’m wearing nothing underneath. Just kidding.

3. I am generally an extremist when it comes to lip color: either very sheer gloss or devil-may-care matte red. But for spring, a more carefree coral (like Nars satin lipstick in Niagara) feels like the way to go.

5. While my winter handbag is generally overflowing with unnecessary bulk—old receipts, dozens of pens, a single glove, matchbooks pilfered from various restaurants—I like to lighten up for spring. A saddle bag in a bright color, like this one from A.P.C., fits the bill perfectly.

6. It may not be time to set sail just yet, but you can get in the mood with classic stripes from St. James, the historic Normandy-based brand that has been shilling mariner shirts since 1889.

7. Rain or shine, don’t leave home without a sturdy parapluie. Monoprix has some cute ones right about now.

8. Friends and strangers alike have been known to sniff curiously at my neck when I’m wearing Tocca’s Florence, a cheerful blend of Bergamot, grapefruit leaves, gardenia, and blonde wood that supposedly conjures “old-world Paris.” Obviously, it’s intoxicating. Or maybe I’m just wearing too much perfume?

9. Sunglasses are perhaps the best way to prove to Parisians that you’re just as cool as they are. I am obsessed with my Paul Smith “Chaucers” in burgundy, and I’ve noticed quite a few stylish ladies striking a fashion-meets-hipster balance in Céline’s “Audrey” shades.

10. Come spring, I gravitate towards bolder hues, but sometimes, I’m still reluctant to be “that girl” wearing color in a sea of black-clad Parisians. I find a bright, lightweight scarf is the best way to indulge both my inner rebel and coward.

Written by Tory Hoen for the HiP Paris Blog.Looking for a fabulous vacation rental in Paris, London, Provence, or Tuscany? Check out Haven in Paris.

Written By

Tory Hoen

After attending Brown University and spending two years in New York, Tory bought a one-way ticket to Paris to pursue her dream of becoming a writer (and of drinking wine at lunch). During her time in the City of Light, she chronicled the euphoric highs and the laughable lows of ex-pat life on her blog, A Moveable Beast. Though she's now based in New York, she travels frequently to Montreal and Brazil, and she'll use just about any excuse to jet to Paris ("I ran out of fleur de sel"). A regular contributor to Hip Paris, Tory also writes for New York Magazine, Time Out New York, and she is a co-author of Gradspot.com's Guide To Life After College. View Website

i like how this site tells you how the bloggers ended up living in Paris. Other bloggers keep it a mystery as to how they’ve made the transistion and it’s SO IRRITATING. i don’t know what the big deal is. so thank you for giving us each writers background as to how they made their dream of living in Paris come true.

Hey! I am so glad I found this post. I have just packed my spring get-up for Paris and delighted with glee that I have packed nearly the same. Now to source for that Nars lipstick! Lovely shade. Have not been there since 2004!